Slow season

This is about the time of year that I begin to experience burnout.

The weather is colder and the days are shorter, and because of this I speed home after work on weekdays so I could salvage the few minutes of daylight that are left. But once home, the cats are in a frenzy to go out, which is not allowed when it’s dark because, well, would you enjoy searching for your sly black cat at night? So while the cats are revolting over lost play time — swatting at each other, hissing, meowing incessantly wherever I stand — I am losing my damn mind, thinking “Cat soup for dinner.”

Yes, once the sky dims, my day and its potential come to an end. Motivation suffers. The minutes, hours and days blend together into one remarkably uneventful blob.

To add to the problem: I am out of vacation days, and the holidays are still weeks away. Soon, work will slow down to an intolerable pace and I will be the lone ranger in the office while the other, smarter folks who hoarded their PTO throughout the year are enjoying time off and avoiding this very real burnout.